The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-05-28

and one American. His father had
a ranch in San Simon valley, and
it was there that Jimmy took up
with the gang, among whom he
was familiarly known as "The Kid
of the San Simon" The white
man he killed was poor, industri-
Gus fellow employed on a neighbor-
ing ranch. The owner oft the ranch,
a man named Davis, had pretty
little girl of about fifteen, to whom
Master Jimmy made desperate love.
His passion was returned, and the
young fellow made arrangements
for them to elope together across
the border line into Mexico and get
married. Somehow or other this
came to the ears of the girls father.
But despite his vigilance the cou-
pie managed to elope one night,
and the old man, with his hired
help, gave chase and overhauled
the couple within about twenty
miles of the frontier. Nothing
daunted, Master Jimmy turned up
on his pursuers, filled the hired
man too full of holes to skin with
a charge of buckshot, and threat
ened to blow off the head of his
father-m-law if he didn't make him
self scarce on the spot.
The old man took this friendly
advice and the loving couple went
on their way unmolested. The
fate of the girl was a very sad one.
The young brute drifted back with
her to Clifton, Arizona, where he
led her a life of perpetual brutality
and wound up by beating her to
death. He succeeded in making
his escape once more into Mexico,
but was caught a little later on by
the Mexican authorities trying to
steal cattle in Chihuahua and
sentenced, after the peculiar laws
of the sister Republic, to serve five
years in the Mexican cavalry, where
he is doing duty, or "time," as
the case may be, at the present
writing.
The profits Of the rustlers,' OF
cattle thieves, was something enor,
nous, and they always had a ready
market for all they stole. Their
plan was to cross the frontier line
into Old Mexico in parties of about
twenty, and round up and run of
the cattle and horses of the Mexican
ranchers. The stock was driven to
Cloverdale, a beautiful valley lying
at the entrance of Guadaloupe can
yon, close to the line, where the
brands of the owners were removed
i'm the following ingenious manner
An ordinary horse blanket wa:
dipped in water, wrung out ano
placed over the brand to be re
moved. A frying-pan was ther
heated in the camp fire, and wher
nearly red hot was applied firmly
against the wet blanket. Th'
steam thus generated scalded The
hair off, and when it grew on agair
new brand was applied. Th'
market for the cattle was chiefly
at the United States Indian Reser
vations of the San Carlos, in Ari
zona. and the Mescalero Reserva
tions i'm New Mexeco. Contractor
| for the government were quite sat
isfied to buy the stolen property
and no questions were asked. Will
the settling up of the country tn
business of the "rustler" has seri
ously declined, and where ther
were bands Of twenty and forty en-
gagged in this work of stealing thei
, neighbors' cattle, there are now no
more than isolated outfits of from
+, four to half dozen. The extirpa
B. ton of the rustler" is mainly du
to the untiring efforts Of Colone
Alfred J. Fountain of Las Cruces
2 n. NJ, who never rested till h
scattered, shot down or lodged il
!. the Kansas Penitentiary the mos
| desperate among the leaders an
e members of the several gangs. Al
the sheriffs Of New Mexico coul
e never have effected the sam
: amount of good as the handful
D cavalry that the legislature abou
;, two wears ago authorized Colont
e Fountain to organize and keep j
e the field. Desperadoes are still a
e plentiful as cacti in New Mexic'
r but the festive rustlcr is rapidly b
y coming q thing of the past.